Catalogue of the vascular epiphytic flora of Uruguay

Patricia Mai,Andrés Rossado,Jorge Luiz Waechter,José Mauricio Bonifacino

doi:10.1590/0102-33062019abb0059

Patricia Mai, Andrés Rossado + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-33062019abb0059

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Abstract

ABSTRACT We provide an updated list of the vascular epiphytic flora occurring in native environments of Uruguay based on literature review, herbarium specimens, and fieldwork throughout the country. The catalogue provides standardized information for each species, including accepted name, synonyms used within Uruguay, epiphytic category, distribution within the country, habitat, conservation status, observations, and a voucher citation. The effort documented 73 species for the epiphytic flora of Uruguay (3 % of the flora), distributed among 29 genera and 12 families. Bromeliaceae was the richest family (17), followed by Polypodiaceae (16) and Orchidaceae (12). Tillandsia stood out as the most speciose genus with 15 species. Characteristic holoepiphytes was the most diverse ecological category. More than half of the epiphytic species documented for Uruguay (53 %) reach their southernmost geographic distribution in the country, whereas only two mostly epipetric species of Tillandsia - T. arequitae and T. uruguayensis - are endemic to the country. Almost half of the epiphytic species found are presently under categories of threat of extinction, with 60 % of them occurring in national protected areas. Both the richest epiphytic families and the predominance of characteristic holoepiphytes coincide with findings from floristic and ecological studies previously carried out in humid subtropical regions.

Highlights

Epiphytes are plants that germinate and grow on other plants, phorophytes, where they survive without absorbing nutrients from the host plant and without being connected to the ground, at least during some stage of the life cycle (Mirbel 1815; Madison 1977; Benzing 1990)
More than half of the epiphytic species documented for Uruguay (53 %) reach their southernmost geographic distribution in the country, whereas only two mostly epipetric species of Tillandsia — T. arequitae and T. uruguayensis — are endemic to the country
The main objective of this study is to provide a complete and up to date list of the vascular epiphytic flora occurring in Uruguay in the form of a catalogue containing additional information on ecological category, eco-geographical distribution, and conservation status for each species

Summary

Introduction

Epiphytes are plants that germinate and grow on other plants, phorophytes, where they survive without absorbing nutrients from the host plant and without being connected to the ground, at least during some stage of the life cycle (Mirbel 1815; Madison 1977; Benzing 1990). Epiphytes are well-represented within lycophytes and ferns, and are especially numerous among angiosperms In the latter, the largest diversity occurs in monocots, accounting for approximately 80 % of all epiphytic species, with a high concentration in Orchidaceae and Bromeliaceae (Zotz 2013a). Orchidaceae stands out with more than 18,800 species, representing 68 % of the total of epiphyte flora (Zotz 2013a) This remarkable diversity places the orchids as the most successful plant lineage in canopy colonization (Benzing 1990). This family is only distantly followed by Bromeliaceae with 1,770 species, and Polypodiaceae with 1,252 species, the second and third epiphytic families in species number (Zotz 2013a)

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